The Directors Guild of America has announced that the National Board of Directors has approved a tentative new national commercial contract to be sent to the membership for ratification.
The agreement was negotiated with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, Inc. (AICP) and covers a three-year term from December 1, 2017 – November 30, 2020.
Highlights of the agreement include:
- Wage increases of 2.5% in the first year of the contract and 3% in each of the second and third years of the contract.
- A permanent increase in the employer contribution rate to the DGA Pension Plan by one-half percent (.5%) in the first year of the agreement from 5.5% to 6%. The DGA will also have the right to allocate up to .5% of the negotiated increases in salary rates in the second and third years of the Agreement to the DGA Pension Plan or DGA Health Plan.
- Establishment of mandatory safety training for assistant directors and unit production managers to support their roles in helping the employer maintain best practices and a safe working environment.
Other highlights include outsized wage gains for second assistant directors, increases in the base upon which pension and health contributions are made on behalf of Directors, and a commitment from the AICP to further develop the Director Diversity Program established in the 2014 negotiations.
Negotiations with the AICP took place during three separate periods between August and October of this year and were led by associate national executive director Bryan Unger, Eastern executive director Neil Dudich, and a DGA member negotiations committee.
The DGA’s National Board voted unanimously at a special board meeting on Saturday to approve the agreement and send it to the membership for ratification.
“In the face of a rapidly changing advertising industry, our Commercial Negotiations Committee achieved a solid agreement securing significant benefits for our members working in commercials,” said DGA president Thomas Schlamme. “This contract will grow this area of work for years to come.”
“Throughout the process, we were focused on working with the AICP to find practical solutions to challenges on both sides, and it paid off,” said Unger. “We are pleased that the new agreement will keep our members working, securing their retirement benefits and important wage gains – while also allowing producers the flexibility they need to keep this global industry thriving.”
Ratification materials will be sent to members this week.
Droga5 Appoints Emma Montgomery As Global Chief Strategy Officer
Creative agency network Droga5 has appointed Emma Montgomery as global chief strategy officer. She is the third global appointment for the agency this year, with Pelle Sjoenell named worldwide chief creative officer this past March, and global CEO Mark Green recently appointed this fall. Montgomery will be responsible for connecting and supercharging Droga5’s strategy and creative offerings globally. She will be based in its headquarters in New York City.
“Emma is a world-class strategic leader and authority that I’ve long admired and dreamt of being partners-in-crime with,” said Sjoenell. “Her work inspires the creativity that connects people and brands in ways that move business and culture forward, so I’m excited to finally be able to work with her alongside Mark, and to see her lead and further strengthen our leadership and strategy teams around the world.”
Montgomery joins Droga5 after serving as CEO of DDB Chicago. She’s been in the industry for over 20 years, and has served in several high-level leadership positions throughout her career, including as president and CSO of Leo Burnett Chicago, global CSO of TBWA, and CEO of Leo Burnett Australia. She’s also worked across a breadth of categories and multiple global clients such as Kraft, Aldi, Diageo and Molson Coors, among many others, including challenger brands and startups.
“I’m excited to join Droga5 and have the opportunity to help carve out a new path for the brand globally, building on its tremendous legacy of creative leadership,” said Montgomery. “The potential of Droga5, combined with the possibilities of Accenture Song, was too exciting to pass up. No other agency has what they have, and as marketing shifts, the chance to make creativity a genuine... Read More